Water Purification Techniques

Boiling
Sunlight Exposure
Chlorination
Flocculation
Filtration - Straining
Three-Pot Treatment

Boiling
Equipment/Skill Required:
Water container
Intense heat fuel (wood, gas, etc)
Preferably a fuel efficient stove
Must be able to produce heat
Process:
Water should be placed in a container and heated until
boiling.
The water should be allowed to boil for at least 10 minutes.
Once cooled the water will be ready to use.

Boiling
Advantages
Simple and effective method of purification
Will kill many waterborne bacteria through the intense
heat
Uses local available materials

Disadvantages
Can sometimes be difficult, time consuming, and cost inefficient
because of the high volume of fuel used
Will not remove mud from murky water
Will not remove suspended or dissolved compounds

Sunlight Exposure

Equipment/Skill Required:
Disposable clear plastic bottles (glass bottles should not be used as they do not let
enough sunlight into the water)
Bright sunlight

Process:
Fill a clean bottle, leaving a quarter empty.
Put the top on and shake the bottle for 20 seconds.
The bottled should then be left in sunlight
(usually on the roof of your home) for one day
(or two days if the sky is cloudy)
Drink the water straight from the bottle to avoid
cross-contamination.
In the rainy season, paint one side of the bottle black.
This will increase the water temperature quicker.
The painted side should be placed underneath

Sunlight Exposure
Advantages:

Kills harmful bacteria and pathogens

Simple, convenient and inexpensive
If used correctly, the water is as clean as boiled water
Will not change the taste of water

Disadvantages:
Will not remove mud from murky water
A 6-12 hour waiting period

Chlorination
Equipment/skill required:

Household bleach
Water vessel
Stirrer
Clearest water possible

Process:

Boil the water for 5 minutes

Add the bleach to water.
Stir thoroughly.
Let it stand for at least 30 minutes.

Chlorination
Advantages:
Easy to use method of chemical purification of water
Effective at killing bacteria and viruses
Inexpensive

Disadvantages:
Not effective at killing all parasites.
Complex compounds can form with organic material which over
time can be hazardous to health.
It is best to use the water in a shorter period of time and store it in
a plastic container in a cool and shaded place.

Coagulation and
Flocculation
Equipment/skill required:

A coagulant (ex. aluminium sulphate)

Some skill/training
2 vessels
Stirrer
Filter a cloth

Process:
Add a coagulant to water and stir rapidly.
Allow to stand for some time, and continuously stir slowly to form
large flocs.
The formed flocs clean the water by attracting pathogens and other
microorganisms.
Remove the flocs using filtration and be careful to not recontaminate the water.

Coagulation and
Flocculation
Advantages:
Proven reduction of viruses, bacteria, protozoa
Pesticide and heavy metal removal
Simple technology and use

Disadvantages:
May be toxic if used improperly
Could be more expensive and complicated than other
methods due to increased number of required materials and
skill
Requires multiple steps

Filtration -Straining

Equipment/skill required:
Porous barrier: cost and efficiency depends on the barrier: clean
woven fibers (cotton cloth, linen, others) Moringa tree seed press
cake, ceramic filter
Water vessel

Process:
Fix the barrier on top of the water vessel.
If using cloth it should be folded 4-8 times to create a thicker
barrier.
Pour water through the barrier into the vessel, trapping solids and
particles on top of the barrier.
Take care to only allow filtered water to reach the bucket.

Settling

Letting water collected during the day settle over night can be an
effective way of improving the clearness of water by reducing turbity
(very murky water) and is a cheap alternative to sand filtering.
However you must leave undisturbed for a sufficient period of time
(at least 10 hours), out of sunlight (at night), in a sealed container is
best.
Warning: Must be used in conjunction with Filtering. This is only
a pre-treatment to make Filtering more effective!!
4
.

5
.

6
.

Resources courtesy of Health Education to Villagers, http://hetv.org/resources/safewater/manual/ch_5.htm#figure_5

Filtering Water with Cloth

2.

3.

4.

1.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Resources courtesy of Health Education to Villagers, http://hetv.org/resources/safewater/manual/ch_5.htm#figure_5

Filtration -Straining

Filtration -Straining
Advantages:

Cost effective
Immediate access to water
Filters out all particles that are larger than the pores in the barrier
Can be cleaned and reused
Does not alter taste of water

Disadvantages:
Does not guarantee removal of all virus particles and infectious
contaminants, chemicals, pollutants, chemicals and poor tastes
Should not be used as a sole purification method

Three-Pot Treatment

Equipment/skill required:
3 water vessels/pots for processing; 1 for collection of dirty water and 1 for
collection of clean water
if possible - a flexible pipe to siphon water as it disturbs sediment less than
pouring
if possible - a cloth or any filtration barrier

Process:

Pour water into the first pot (pouring it through cloth increases efficiency).
Let the water settle for as many hours as possible a length of just one day ca
kill of more than 50% of most bacteria.
Pour water into a second pot, let it settle again.
Then pour into the third pot and let it settle again.
Drinking water is drawn from the third pot only.

Three-Pot Treatment

Three-Pot Treatment
Advantages:
Cost effective
Easy to use and maintain
Bacterial contamination levels decrease through
settlement and over time

Disadvantages:
Does not guarantee complete removal of some bacteria
and micro-organisms
Could take a few days to treat water